A seasoning made with Chinese ingredients and used in recalled snacks was contaminated with salmonella, the head of a U.S. company said. The snacks sickened dozens of people.

The seasoning, used on Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks and Veggie Booty snacks, tested positive for the bacteria, Robert Ehrlich, president and chief executive of Robert's American Gourmet, said Tuesday. The seasoning's ingredients came primarily from China, the company said.

Separately, nearly one-fifth of products made in China for domestic consumption failed quality and safety standards, the Chinese government said Tuesday, while on Wednesday a Chinese state-run newspaper stressed the need to raise quality guidelines to meet international levels.

The dismal safety record of products made in China, within and outside its borders, has increasingly come under the spotlight in Chinese and foreign media as its goods make their way through global markets. Major buyers, like those in the United States, Japan, and the European Union, have pushed Beijing to improve inspections.